And there are many other examples. The current mayor of Rome, after his election, was greeted with stiff-armed salutes and cries of “Duce! Duce!” Finland has the surging True Finns; and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel is not above a little scapegoating to win political points.

I’m not suggesting for a moment that we stop worrying about Islamism and the anti-civilian terrorism that accompanies it. But, as events in Norway indicate, we are facing a serious threat much closer to home—and there is solid historical precedent for being concerned.